The Problem With Dumbledore
by Quorinne
Summary: Albus Dumbledore was not a bad man. He just didn't have any common sense. Rated M for Child Abuse. No Cannon death.


The Problem with Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore was not a bad man. He did not hate his muggleborn students and he was not plotting to take over the magical world. He was not actively seeking the death of Harry Potter nor was he testing him. He never stole from Harry's accounts nor was he aware of just what sort of life he held at the Dursley's.

Albus Dumbledore was a powerful and brilliant wizard; he really had helped discover the twelve uses of Dragon's Blood and he was every bit as intelligent as his chocolate frog card made him out to be. He was also a kind man giving employment to those who would not find any elsewhere in the magical community. He genuinely cared for his students and the problems of man.

He was also naive enough to believe everyone else did as well. In Albus Dumbledore's mind if you were not a death eater then you must be a decent individual. This is why he never took accusations of Snape's favoritism seriously; believing them to be petty childhood rivalry against Slytherin House.

It was why he didn't heed Arabella Figg's warnings when she told him Harry was too small and limped too often. After all wasn't his mother on the smaller side he must simply take after her; and perhaps he was just a clumsy boy. No Petunia was his aunt by blood she must love him. Harry was surely happy with his family. No need to distress them by visiting; some muggles were uncomfortable with magic.

This was also his philosophy when it came to most muggleborn students. Sarah Baker would ask if she could stay at Hogwarts over summer and was most distraught when refused. When the girl made plans to stay with friends instead of returning home Albus had words with the family. After all her parents rarely got to spend time with the poor girl and it would be cruel to keep them from her just because they were in a fight.

So Sarah returned to her father the priest and the mother who never seemed to be around. At the age of twelve her magical friends attended her funeral. Albus Dumbledore was naïve enough to believe that there were no longer muggles who would attempt to burn their own children at the stake if it meant 'saving them from the devil'. Sarah hadn't yet learned the flame freezing spell; that was a fourth year charm.

Normally the Pureblood aristocracy wouldn't bother themselves with the death of a mudblood child; but in this case it opened up opportunities.

The public didn't like the idea of children being burned at the stake by muggles. They were especially furious when her friends claimed that she had in fact gone to her teachers for help and was refused.

Rita was having a field day. The headlines read titles such as: Promising witch Burned at the Stake, Headmaster Ignores Child Abuse, and Witch Trials in Recent History.

If Lucius Malfoy could find even one more muggleborn child from an abusive home Dumbledore would be out on his ear. It wasn't difficult to convince the minister he needed to require mandatory physicals for every child at Hogwarts. The purebloods would be safe; it was unheard of to harm your own offspring. A taboo equivalent to what incestuous relations among siblings were to the muggles.

The results were more than they could have dreamed. A seventh year student by the name of Jacob Adler had been living in Pyrite Alley since he was thirteen. It was a low income area populated almost entirely by werewolves and criminals. He and four other muggleborns would share a room over the summer while they worked odd jobs in muggle London to save for Hogwarts tuition.

A third year student by the name of Kevil Turner had shown repeated signs of sexual abuse perpetrated as punishment for his 'kinship with Satan' according to parents who shortly after died of mysterious causes. The Ministry was disinclined to investigate further.

There were four other spread throughout the years in Hufflepuff with an extensive history of bruises and broken bones; and two in Ravenclaw who had retreated so far into books they had a nervous breakdown when forced to set their schoolwork aside and answer questions.

The largest and most decorated feather in their cap however was one third year student named Harry James Potter. The savior of the wizarding world had undergone the same physical as his classmates with results that horrified that masses. While there hadn't been any sexual abuse the healers had discovered signs of physical abuse and severe malnutrition brought on by days without food or water over the course of years. Malnutrition that could only be partially repaired by a regiment of potions; he would likely never achieve an average height.

Following this revelation series of Muggleborn protection acts were passed which removed all muggleborn children from their homes and placed them with proper wizarding families. Children who chose could appeal the process if the ministry found their parents to be supportive and of a good nature. All children under the age of three were not given this option. Their parents had their memories erased and they were adopted by childless couples. This was to continue with all new muggleborn infants.

Of the muggleborn students taken from their families less than a third were returned. The Creevy siblings while possessing a wonderful father had a shrew mother who continuously called them demon children. Their father refused a divorce and while he could write his sons and visit the ministry placed Dennis and Collin with Agusta Longbottom.

While Dean Thomas did in fact have a kind family it was discovered that he was in fact the half-blood son of one Steven Shacklebolt, brother of Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was placed in his custody as his closest magical relative. Dean was hoping his newly discovered uncle didn't hate muggles enough to prevent him from visiting at least.

Hermione was also surprised to discover that she wasn't quite so muggleborn after all. Hector Dagworth-Granger was apparently the founder of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers and her great uncle on her father's side. Apparently her grandfather had been his younger squib brother who had left the magical world and had died before Hermione received her Hogwarts Letter. She had been placed into his custody legally as he was her only magical relative due to his age he felt unable to physically care for a child and would be staying with her parents during break.

Albus Dumbledore was not a wicked man. He was every bit as kind and intelligent as was claimed. He was also completely lacking in common sense and it would be his oversights that revolutionized the Wizarding world in ways he could never have imagined.

After Harry's abuse was discovered the ministry unsealed the Potter Family Records to determine who his legal guardian was supposed to be. There they made a startling discovery. Sirius Black was not only his legal guardian but according to the Potter's will he was never the secret keeper. That responsibility fell to a dead man. When Rita Skeeter went digging around his trial transcripts' she discovered he had never been given one! The paper read out, Ancient and Noble House Denied their Rights!

While this wasn't enough to clear him right off the ICW was forced to step in and offer asylum. If he turned himself in peacefully to one of their ministries they would grant him a trial where veritaserum would be used to prove either guilt or innocence.

When he showed up emaciated and nearly insane at the French Embassy the entire story was spilt with three drops and Crouch and Bagnold received the blame while Fudge made himself look like a saint who tirelessly fought to save an innocent man.

It was decided that after extensive rehabilitation at St Mungo's he would be allowed physical Custody of his Godson as long as they both underwent mandatory counseling.

In the end it was a very emotional year; some muggleborns were happy while others lost their families. The Ministry was under close scrutiny and McGonagall replaced Dumbledore as head of Hogwarts. Only time could tell if these changes would be for the better or the worse.


End file.
